The impressive number of gallantry awards announced by the Government of India on the eve of Republic Day 2024 reflects the raw guts and phenomenal spirit of sacrifice that exists within the entire rank and file of the Indian security forces. The highest gallantry award announced this year is the Kirti Charkra [KC], which is the second highest peacetime gallantry award], and the fact that three out of the six recipients are being conferred with this medal posthumously indicates its stringent qualifying parameters.

Havildar [Sergeant] Abdul Majid is one of the bravehearts being awarded KC posthumously. A resident of Ajote Village in the Haveli district of Poonch, J&K, Majid was a commando who had been serving with Special Forces [SF] in J&K since 2011. As its designation implies, SF are units trained for special operations, direct action, hostage rescue, counter-terrorism, unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defence, counter-proliferation, counter-insurgency, seek and destroy and personnel recovery.

Considering the extremely dangerous nature of operations that SF units of the Indian army are required to undertake, induction into this elite force is purely voluntary, and even after entry, a commando is free to revert back to his parent unit by opting out whenever he so desires. Volunteers desirous of joining are put through an unbelievably rigorous selection process to assess their physical fitness and mental resilience. Even after........

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